To help pass those long summer days, and hopefully get the Catamount faithful a little more excited about the upcoming season, and knowledgeable of the team members, we'll continue the football countdown each day until kickoff day.
No player is currently assigned to #94, so we will highlight another assistant coach.
Rylan Wells
TITLE Assistant Coach / Offensive Coordinator / Recruiting Coordinator
Rylan Wells joined the Western Carolina football coaching staff in the spring of 2021, working with the Catamount tight ends and fullbacks. He was later named the program's recruiting coordinator. In January 2024, Wells was promoted to the position of Offensive Coordinator by WCU head coach Kerwin Bell.
A former college quarterback under Bell, Wells has experience coaching across the field having worked with nearly every position group during his career. Wells came to Cullowhee initially after a year at Tusculum University.
Over the past three seasons at WCU, Wells has been a part of the Catamount offensive coaching staff that has broken the school record for total offense twice with 5,339 yards in 2022 eclipsed by a record 5,545 yards last fall. WCU has scored an average of 33.9 points per game on an average of 486.8 yards of total offense since 2021. Wells has been an integral part of the staff as one of the coaches in the press box each week. His younger brother, Rogan, finished his collegiate career at WCU in 2021 with the sixth-most passing yards in a single season at 2,595 yards, capping a career that included stops at Valdosta State and Tusculum.
While coaching at Tusculum University with Kade, Wells mentored the Pioneers’ running backs. He was a part of claiming the 2021 spring South Atlantic Conference championship. He also served as the video coordinator while at Tusculum.
In the five-game 2021 spring schedule, Tusculum averaged 37.6 points per game and over 530 yards of offense per game including 139.2 yards per game on the ground. Under Wells’ tutelage, the junior running back tandem of TJ Jones and Maurice Gomillion accounted for 501 rushing yards and nine of the team’s 12 scores on the ground. The duo also recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards in five games, an average of 73.6 receiving yards per game, and amassed 173.8 yards of total offense per game.
Wells earned his coaching start on staff at his alma mater Jacksonville University for two seasons (2018-2019) where he was an offensive graduate assistant. With the Dolphins, he coached the offensive tackles in 2018 and the wide receivers in 2019. The 2018 Jacksonville offense ranked third in the nation in rushing, averaging 345.3 yards per game while boasting the nation’s fifth-ranked individual rusher in Calvin Turner, who ran for 1,431 yards in 10 games and posted the nation’s third-best average per game (143.1). Wells additionally served as the film coordinator for JU during the 2019 campaign.
Originally from Tega Cay, S.C., Wells was a member of the Jacksonville football team from 2013-2017 where he started at quarterback for 34 games. He finished his collegiate career ranked among the top five in Jacksonville history in rushing touchdowns (20), pass completions (257), passing attempts (444), completion percentage, and total offense (5,519 yds).
A 2017 team captain at Jacksonville, Wells started in all 11 games under center, passing for 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 472 yards and eight scores. A three-time Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honoree, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Davidson College that included five combined touchdowns and a Dolphins win.
In 2016, he became the first Jacksonville player to lead the Dolphins in both rushing and passing yards in the same season, accumulating 1,744 passing yards and 614 yards on the ground in 10 games. He scored 11 touchdowns and fell one score shy of the program single-game record against Marist, rushing for four scores in one game.
Wells earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Jacksonville in 2018 and completed his master’s degree in sport management in 2020.
A former college quarterback under Bell, Wells has experience coaching across the field having worked with nearly every position group during his career. Wells came to Cullowhee initially after a year at Tusculum University.
Over the past three seasons at WCU, Wells has been a part of the Catamount offensive coaching staff that has broken the school record for total offense twice with 5,339 yards in 2022 eclipsed by a record 5,545 yards last fall. WCU has scored an average of 33.9 points per game on an average of 486.8 yards of total offense since 2021. Wells has been an integral part of the staff as one of the coaches in the press box each week. His younger brother, Rogan, finished his collegiate career at WCU in 2021 with the sixth-most passing yards in a single season at 2,595 yards, capping a career that included stops at Valdosta State and Tusculum.
While coaching at Tusculum University with Kade, Wells mentored the Pioneers’ running backs. He was a part of claiming the 2021 spring South Atlantic Conference championship. He also served as the video coordinator while at Tusculum.
In the five-game 2021 spring schedule, Tusculum averaged 37.6 points per game and over 530 yards of offense per game including 139.2 yards per game on the ground. Under Wells’ tutelage, the junior running back tandem of TJ Jones and Maurice Gomillion accounted for 501 rushing yards and nine of the team’s 12 scores on the ground. The duo also recorded 26 receptions for 368 yards in five games, an average of 73.6 receiving yards per game, and amassed 173.8 yards of total offense per game.
Wells earned his coaching start on staff at his alma mater Jacksonville University for two seasons (2018-2019) where he was an offensive graduate assistant. With the Dolphins, he coached the offensive tackles in 2018 and the wide receivers in 2019. The 2018 Jacksonville offense ranked third in the nation in rushing, averaging 345.3 yards per game while boasting the nation’s fifth-ranked individual rusher in Calvin Turner, who ran for 1,431 yards in 10 games and posted the nation’s third-best average per game (143.1). Wells additionally served as the film coordinator for JU during the 2019 campaign.
Originally from Tega Cay, S.C., Wells was a member of the Jacksonville football team from 2013-2017 where he started at quarterback for 34 games. He finished his collegiate career ranked among the top five in Jacksonville history in rushing touchdowns (20), pass completions (257), passing attempts (444), completion percentage, and total offense (5,519 yds).
A 2017 team captain at Jacksonville, Wells started in all 11 games under center, passing for 1,480 yards and 11 touchdowns while also rushing for 472 yards and eight scores. A three-time Pioneer Football League Offensive Player of the Week honoree, he was recognized as an Honorable Mention for the STATS FCS Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Davidson College that included five combined touchdowns and a Dolphins win.
In 2016, he became the first Jacksonville player to lead the Dolphins in both rushing and passing yards in the same season, accumulating 1,744 passing yards and 614 yards on the ground in 10 games. He scored 11 touchdowns and fell one score shy of the program single-game record against Marist, rushing for four scores in one game.
Wells earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Jacksonville in 2018 and completed his master’s degree in sport management in 2020.
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